Empty Lies
by KhallieGurl
Summary: Top Cat . It's been a year since TC, the indisputable leader of the gang, was seen. The gang has split up and gone their separate ways, not knowing what's happened to one another. But they've got a chance to get it all back--read to find out how! : .
1. Chapter 1

Empty Lies

Hello to all my readers!! Just a quick blurb before the story actually begins—first order of business, I realize the title sucks. Actually, it sounds cool, but it really has nothing to do with the story, I just suck at thinking up titles. Second, the plot for this story was thought up in a really random dream I had, so be patient if the first few chapters confuse you, I promise it will all be wrapped up at the end. And third, if any of you are familiar with my Ratatouille fic "Away", (yep, another crappy title), I WILL EVENTUALLY FINISH THAT. I haven't forgotten about it, don't worry, just taking a creative break to write more random stories. And, last but certainly not least, the disclaimer:

I do not own the TV show "Top Cat". That would be Hanna-Barbera. I am just a huge fan of the show (I watch it weekday mornings because it happens to be on while I eat breakfast), and decided this might make a good story.

Enjoy!! BTW, the more reviews I get, the faster I update, so PLEASE REVIEW!! :)

* * *

The Alley was eerily quiet.

A group of forlorn, uninhabited trash cans gleamed silver in the moonlight by a rickety picket fence, where there also sat piles of disorganized newspapers and discarded bottles. All in all, the Alley was a mess. It had been so for a year.

The policeman whose regular duty it was to patrol the Alley hadn't bothered to clean it. This was strange, for the policeman was a highly dedicated and professional man who, in the past, had always demanded that this particular alley be clean.

But now he didn't care.

Because the Alley was empty.

The policeman stopped in his rhythmic walk to glance over at the trash cans, one in particular, by a telephone pole. That one trash can, sides slightly dented and lid askew, stared back at him as if daring him to remember.

He took the dare. He remembered when this alley was a home, when it was filled with constant sound, constant life, fairly vibrating from the space the Alley inhabited. He remembered when this alley used to be the most dreaded stop on his beat—and, at the same time, his favorite.

Now it was anything but his favorite.

Because the Alley was empty.

The policeman walked on, his memory clouded by six familiar faces he was trying to forget and still remember at the same time.

At least he knew five of them were alive and well—he'd made sure of that through a little 'investigation' using his connections. But one face refused to go away, even for a little while. It had stayed for a whole year, sometimes retreating into the back of his mind but always present nonetheless.

The urge became too powerful. With an almost emotionless face, the policeman reached into his jacket pocket (which was actually quite large for a pocket), and slowly pulled out a crumpled purple hat.

Finally, the policeman let his guard down. Memories floated up to the surface as they only seemed to do in this alley, like this was the last time he'd have the unsavory privilege of revisiting them.

A lone tear ran down Officer Dibble's cheek as he trudged onward through the Alley.


	2. Chapter 2

Yay!! Chapter 2!! Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed Ch. 1, I really appreciate it. :). Please keep doing what you're doing!!

Enjoy!

EL Ch. 2

"Choo-Choo, get in here and _feed your nieces!!"_

Choo-Choo groaned, unwillingly rolling off the sofa and heading in the direction of the kitchen. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but as soon as his exhausted body made contact with the cushions after tripping on a fire truck he'd been out.

"Choo-Choo, _now!"_

"I'm coming, Cloe."

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he knew most of his day was gone.

His twin nieces, Tilly and Lilly, were happily sitting in their high chairs, obviously proud of themselves. The bottles they'd been unsuccessfully sucking lay on the floor, tops separated and milk no longer inside. Jam, presumably grape, covered the fridge in large smears while chocolate syrup was smothered all over the countertop, courtesy of three-year-old DJ, who was currently sucking chocolate off his fingers with a very pleased look on his face.

"I love kids," Choo-Choo said sarcastically as he reluctantly went to work.

A few hours of scrubbing and cleansing later, Choo-Choo lay slumped in an armchair while his sister, Cloe, stood menacingly in front, arms crossed and a tired glare emanating from her exhausted eyes.

"Choo-Choo, you know I love you", she began with a sigh.

"But this arrangement just isn't working out", Choo-Choo finished for her.

"When you first came, I thought it would be great. I hardly ever got to see you before, the kids missed you, and you'd be able to help me with them. But…"

"Things didn't turn out the way you wanted."

"Well, no. The kids love you, but…let's face it. This past year has proven that you aren't the most competent cat. The only reason the kitchen's a mess is because DJ was _not _down for his nap and the twins were _not _fed, both things I asked you to do. And that's not the only time this has happened. And…the apartment's just too small, and…Peter doesn't make that much money…and…to put it bluntly, you just haven't helped as much as you've…hurt."

Both siblings were silent after Cloe's speech, Choo-Choo staring at the floor and Cloe looking at the ceiling as if for approval.

Finally Choo-Choo broke the silence.

"I think I need to get out."

* * *

Spook leaned against the crumbling wall of the decrepit building he now took residence at as he stared, unseeing, into the distance. Luckily, he could do this without jogging in place since it was now spring and he didn't need to keep his body from freezing. During the last winter, constant motion had been a necessity in order to do just that because of the building's poor insulation.

But what could you expect from an old, run-down factory in the middle of an alley? It wasn't like anyone lived there to make sure the heat and AC were on, or that the second floor could support a living organism without threatening to give way.

Spook sighed as he remembered better days. In the better days he might have still lived in an alley, but there was something about that particular alley that made it the best place to live. Sure, he still struggled to survive, but it had been easier with the help of his friends. And he had never been personally in charge of getting food or anything, that was…

Spook stopped himself before he could go any further. It was too painful, what had happened a year ago. He didn't like to relive anything to do with it.

Spook decided that what he needed was to get out.

* * *

Apparently, Brain's cute face wasn't working, because an old lady's purse had just made contact with his face. As Brain yelped in pain, the old lady stood over him, totally blocking his sunlight, which really made this all the more creepy.

"Next time you beg, young man, make sure you don't _insult _a woman's age!" she huffed as she stomped away, leaving Brain rubbing his nose as the sunlight returned, therefore blinding him.

"Duh…what'd I say?" he asked, now rubbing his eyes, but the lady was gone. She sure had some speed for an old lady.

It was getting harder and harder to beg nowadays, mostly because it was his only option. People got so _offended _when he said that they didn't have a lot of time left and that they might as well give away their money so _he _could have some more of that precious time. Especially senior citizens. He, honestly, thought it was a pretty good tagline.

At least when…a certain someone else thought of his begging lines, he'd gotten money and not physical abuse.

Brain struggled to remember what that certain someone had always said when times got rough and you needed a break.

"Duh…I gotta get out."

* * *

"Fancy, _darling, _I _told _you about this weeks ago!"

"I know, doll, but…see, I…."

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"No."

"Then _why _are we standing outside a restaurant without a reservation?"

Fancy started to speak, but stopped as soon as an excuse didn't come to him right away. Unfortunately, Sheri—who was standing, hands on her hips, glaring at him right now on the sidewalk—didn't usually fall for just any excuse.

"_Hmm. _Just as I thought. You _forgot _about our 11-month anniversary."

"Well, hon, in all fairness, most couples don't celebrate an 11-month anniversary…"

"Well _I _do! And I _told _you weeks ago that tonight was supposed to be a very special night! I even told you what restaurant to make reservations at, for Heaven's sake!"

"I know, I know…"

"Fancy, I just don't think I can keep going with this relationship. You forget about these things constantly."

"As I said before, most couples don't celebrate the kind of stuff you do…"

"Well we aren't most couples!"

"I know!"

"I don't think you do. I'm afraid, Fancy, that I just can't keep dating you."

"…Does that mean I have to move out?"

"YES!"

Fancy-Fancy sighed as Sheri stomped away, even the swishing of her pink skirt around her legs seeming to radiate anger.

"I gotta get out," he said softly to himself.

* * *

Benny trotted to keep up with his mother in the streets of New York.

"Ma, tell me again why we're vacationing in NY?"

"Well I wanted to see if the city's gone downhill since you retired from your job as mayor."

"Oh…right…"

His mother stopped at a crosswalk to hail a cab, which was when she asked the question that Benny had, so far, successfully avoided.

"Benny, dear, whatever happened to those friends of yours? You know, the French one, and the senators, and the chauffeur?"

His mother didn't seem to notice that Benny winced at the mention of "the chauffeur."

"Well, Ma, it…it's a long story."

"We've got an entire cab ride," she said as she climbed into a taxi that had pulled over at the sight of her frantically waving arms.

"To be honest, I really…don't know," Benny said as he climbed in after her.

"Oh, Benny, surely you must _know."_

Once again, Benny winced. But this time it was a stronger wince—he was trying to hold back tears.

His mother noticed.

"Why, Benny, dear, whatever is the matter?"

"Nothin', Ma, I just need to get out."

* * *

If you've noticed the constant theme of each paragraph, good for you. If you somehow missed it, the point of this chapter is that they all feel they need to "get out." Third chapter coming soon!!


	3. Chapter 3

So it's taken me QUITE a long time to upload this chapter, I know. But it took me a while to write it because, if you'll notice, it's very long. For those of you who like long chapters, rejoice, and for those of you who don't, I'm sorry, but live with it because this is a VERY important chapter. You find out lots of things. :). Enjoy!! Please review!!

EL Ch. 3

* * *

Brain had absolutely no idea how he was going to get into the bar. He remembered there was some maneuver the gang used to use to get in, via window or some other non-orthodox entry, but he couldn't remember which of the back entrances they used to force their way into. It was amazing how you could remember things like "calcium is good for you" and forget important things, like how to get into a popular bar in New York when you had no money.

Brain was jarred out of his thought process, furiously picking the recesses of his mind for some useful tidbit of information, when he heard a loud clang coming from the shadows behind him.

"Duh…who's there?" he asked, realizing too late that if it was a security guard, he should have just run like the wind and not said anything.

"Whoa, Brain, is that you?"

How did that cat know his name? Brain studied the green figure as it stood up, dusted itself off, and fixed the trashcan it had tripped over. A few seconds later, Brain realized that he did, in fact, know the cat.

"Spook?" he cried incredulously, mostly to confirm the fact that a friend from a past he thought was long-gone had suddenly reappeared in an alley in the back of a bar in New York.

"Yeah, Brain, it's me!" Spook smiled harder than he had in ages, resisting the girlish urge to run forward and hug Brain as hard as he could. "What have you been up to?"

"Aw, nothing much. I've been living in the park and…well, begging for donations." For some reason, Brain wasn't ashamed to admit that in front of Spook.

Spook laughed. "You mean old-fashioned, hardcore begging? Not much better than me, I, like, just went to another alley to see what living quarters I could find. Turns out there's not much in the way of housing around here."

"Duh, you can say that again," Brain said.

"So what are you, like, _doing _here?"

"Well I remembered whenever times got rough, T…" –Brain caught himself—"…the gang used to come here and sneak in just to…you know, be here."

"Yeah, like, soak up the atmosphere and stuff. Crazy as it seems, that's why I'm here, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Spook walked forward to the middle window in the back of the bar, where he jimmied a loose pane for a few minutes. As soon as it was loose enough to sneak in, he motioned Brain forward with a hand gesture. Brain followed, their method of entry slowly returning to him as they worked their way into the men's bathroom.

"I remember how easy it always was to get into here. Even if we _had _money to get in, we'd always come around back here because it was cheaper and we only got caught once or twice", Spook said as he re-closed the window pane so, to outside eyes, it didn't look like a decent gain of access.

Spook and Brain walked into the crowded bar, relishing in the familiar sights, sounds, and smells. It was a haven—for the night, they could forget about their problems and try to remember the good times of their fragmented past.

Spook stared vacantly at the poker tables in the corner, wishing that he had money to buy in with. A few seconds after that, he realized that he was suddenly sprawled across the floor.

Wondering vaguely how that had happened, he stood up and dusted himself off, then reached a helping hand out to whoever he assumed had run into him.

He was met with a disbelieving stare.

"Spook?" the pink cat in front of him said, more to himself than anything.

"Hiya, Choo-choo!" Spook said, resisting the urge to hug for the second time that night. Choo-choo accepted his hand and bounced up, seemingly revived of whatever invisible force had been pulling him down. "Long time, no see, eh? You're, like, the second friend I've run into tonight!"

"Duh, yeah," Brain echoed from somewhere behind Spook.

"I can't believe I ran into you guys! What are you doing here?"

"Like, just chillin'."

"Duh, yeah."

"Same here. I was going to buy into one of those poker tables. You wanna join me?"

"Like, do I ever, but I don't have any money."

"Yeah, me neither."

"I'd lend you some but it's my sister's money," Choo-Choo said. "Let's just get a table. I want to catch up."

Choo-Choo motioned for Spook and Brain to follow him to a vacant table over in the corner. His thoughts swam as he walked. Out of all the coincidences, he had the lucky fortune of running into two of his closest friends. It was too hard to believe.

Choo-Choo stopped walking when he realized he couldn't push past a couple of lovebirds in front of him, deeply involved with expressing their love for one another.

"Um…sorry…pardon me, I just want to get through…"

All attempts at maneuvering past the roadblock utterly failed.

"Reminds me of something Fancy would do," he muttered under his breath.

A tan-fur-colored head popped up from behind the female one. "Somebody say my name?"

"Fancy?!"

"Hey, Fancy, baby!!"

"Duh, hiya, Fancy!"

With one swift movement Fancy was out of the clutches of the random female. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're just…you know, here. We all came separately but we ran into each other," Choo-Choo explained.

"Yeah, we're just hangin'," Spook reimbursed.

"Mind if I join you? Priscilla over there's getting annoying anyway."

"Not at all!"

Fancy-Fancy led the way to the table, totally deserting Priscilla, but Choo-Choo honestly didn't think Priscilla noticed.

As soon as everyone was seated, an awkward silence fell upon the group. They'd all been separated for so long, the friends weren't quite sure what to say to each other.

"So…" Choo-Choo began.

"So what number girlfriend is this, Fancy?" Spook asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Two", Fancy said honestly.

Choo-Choo, Spook, and Brain stared.

"I'm serious, guys. I dated this one girl for 11 months, and we just broke up today."

"Whoa. Sorry, bro."

"Yeah. That's hard."

"Duh, right."

"Nah. It wasn't that hard of a break-up, anyway, I just lost the place I've been crashing."

"You mean you were living together?" Choo-Choo asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't think I've ever seen you actually commit," Spook pointed out.

"Well the only thing stopping me from committing was..well, the gang."

Another awkward silence followed. Fancy broke it.

"So, Spook, what have you been doing?"

"Living in another alley." He paused. "…it's not the same."

A third awkward silence. Fancy broke it again.

"Um…Brain?"

"Duh, I've been living in the park. Spook's right. It's not the same."

Silence.

"Choo-Choo?"

"With my sister and her kids. Still not the same."

More silence. But this time it was broken by a whiny voice coming from the nearby phone.

"But, Ma, I just got here…I told you, I'll be careful...No, Ma, no one's going to remember I was Mayor…No, Ma, I'm not in any danger…"

"BENNY!"

The little blue cat dropped the phone when he heard his name called out by four voices he thought he'd never hear again. Quickly he picked it back up. "Ma? No, nothing happened, I just found some friends. I gotta go. I'll see you later."

With that, he hung up and bounded over to the table.

"Fellas! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Grab a chair, Benny," Fancy said, pulling an extra chair from a nearby table and offering it to Benny.

"Thanks, Fancy."

"So, Benny, baby, whatcha been up to?"

"I've been living with my mom. We took a vacation to New York. She wanted to see how bad it's become since I retired as Mayor."

That got a laugh from the entire table.

"That was a fun day," Fancy said, smiling in remembrance.

"Remember how Dibble had to pay the fine for the taxi he borrowed from that guy?" Choo-Choo asked.

"Yeah, that was a classic," Spook said, laughing.

The laughter died down after a minute, only to pick up again as they all reminisced about their old ventures. It was a while before the next silence came. This time, the silence was broken by Benny, asking a question no one had dared to ask for a year.

"What happened to TC?"

* * *

Choo-Choo, Spook, Brain, and Fancy all looked up and stared at Benny, surprised that he had popped the question. And, at the same time, not surprised.

"I don't know, Benny," Choo-Choo said. "It…it happened so long ago, I…"

"Aw, come on, Chooch, it only happened a year ago," Spook said.

"Yeah, I think it's time we finally just…faced the facts," Fancy agreed.

"Duh, yeah. Now, what exactly happened?" Brain was a little embarrassed to say that he had successfully pushed the memories from his limited mind, which no one else in the group seemed to have done.

"I remember," Benny started. "One morning, Top Cat just wasn't…there. We waited for the sound of trash can lids the entire day, and finally I went to see if he was sick or something. He just…wasn't there."

"So Benny rang the alarm instead," Choo-Choo continued. "We couldn't figure out where he was, and when Dibble came by he said he didn't know, either. Dibble looked for him that whole day, and the next day filed a missing persons report."

Spook took over the story. "It went on that way for, like, a whole week. No one knew where he was. And then…" Spook couldn't bring himself to say it.

Fancy finished it for him. "Dibble found his hat in the river."

A stunned, but not awkward, silence followed the end of the story.

"But why was it in the river?" Brain asked, feeling that the answer could only be bad.

"I don't know," Choo-Choo said again.

"I don't see why he would've…you know…jumped," Spook said, speaking the last word only in a whisper.

"TC wouldn't have done that," Fancy said adamantly.

"But then why was it there?" Choo-Choo asked.

"What did Dibble say was the reason?" Fancy asked.

"He didn't," Spook said. "He barely talked after that."

"And then…well, we all just left," Fancy said, a tone of finality in his voice. "The Alley wasn't the same."

More silence. This time no one broke it.

"Uh, Benny, you OK?" Spook asked.

Benny, eyes wide open and mouth agape, didn't answer.

"Benny, what are you staring at?"

No answer.

Slowly, all four cats turned to look in the direction Benny was looking. And what they saw made their jaws drop.

In the middle of the bar, rolling dice with an unsure look on his face, was a yellow cat who looked remarkably like their old leader.

* * *

GASP!! Who is the cat who looks remarkably like TC? What actually happened? You'll find out when I update more. :). Another reminder: please review!!

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Whooo, Chapter 4. :). Exciting, no? Enjoy! Please review! (Even if it's bad.)

EL Ch. 4

* * *

The gang stared in stunned silence as the yellow cat rolled the die, shut his eyes in a look of apprehension, and then cheered when he rolled seven.

"That can't be him," Fancy said.

"But…it, like, looks so much _like _him, man…" Spook replied.

"Spook is right," Choo-Choo agreed. "All logic tells us that it's _not _him, but…I've got this feeling…"

"It's him, fellas," Benny said adamantly, the emotion in his voice somewhere between relieved happiness and confused anger. "Look at the way he's leaning."

Benny was right. The cat leaned against the gambling table in a way that only Top Cat ever could, like a dying plant that needs to be supported.

"What should we, uh, do?" Brain asked.

"I know what I'm doing," Choo-Choo rose defiantly and made his way over to the throng of people surrounding TC.

"Wait, Chooch, that might not be such a good idea…" Fancy tried to summon him back, but Choo-Choo was already too far away to hear. Or, from the way he was walking, to care.

"TOP CAT!! TOP CAT!! TC!!" Choo-Choo shouted at the top of his lungs as he forced his way through the crowd surrounding the table. When he reached the yellow cat, who had not replied to his frantic yells across the room, he couldn't resist. After a moment of apprehensive inspection, Choo-Choo flung himself on top of the cat in a way that only close friends can get away with doing.

The entire bar was silent after watching that, or at least the large crowd of people nearby. Back at the table, the gang's cheeks reddened so they resembled walking strawberries as they realized the extremely embarrassing thing Choo-Choo had just done.

The yellow cat blinked repeatedly, his eyes wandering down to Choo-Choo and then to some of the people in the crowd in utter confusion.

"Um…do I know you?" he said.

The gang dropped their mouths openly in shock. The voice, beyond a shadow of a doubt, belonged to Top Cat. But, at the same time, it _wasn't_ his voice—there was a vacant quality to it, making it less eloquent and persuasive, and the New York accent wasn't quite as strong.

"What?" Choo-Choo broke from the hug, looking more confused than Top Cat had earlier. "What do you mean do I _know _you? Of course you know me!"

"No, sir, I'm afraid you must be mistaken," Top Cat said. The gang was reassured that it was, indeed, his voice.

"Top Cat…"

"Top Cat? Who's Top Cat? My name is _Dave. _Dave Smith."

"What are you _talking _about?"

The gang back at the table couldn't stand it anymore. Simultaneously, they all stood up and headed towards the gambling table.

"Listen, TC, baby," Spook said as he walked briskly towards the cat.

"TC?"

"Yes, TC. Can we, like, uh…talk to you outside for a second?"

Top Cat stared back at them as if he'd requested that he jump in a pit full of snakes. Fancy stepped forward, addressing the entire congregation that had accumulated at the gambling table.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, there seems to be some sort of a mix-up here. If none of you fine citizens mind, we'd just like to step outside with this fellow and clear any confusion up." At the mixture of horrified and excited stares, he realized his mistake. "We promise we won't…hurt him or anything."

"I'm afraid we can't take that chance," a maroon cat holding a pool stick said. "You mess with Dave, you mess with us." A group of about four cats nodded.

Fancy sighed, remembering when the gang would have said the exact same thing about any of their members. "Well come out with us then," he said. "See for yourself that we mean no harm."

The four cats looked at each other, nodded and then followed Fancy, Choo-Choo, Spook, Brain, Benny, and TC—or, Dave—out to a back door.

* * *

Once outside, Fancy wheeled around. "TC, what are you DOING?"

"What?" he answered.

"Is this some new scam you decided not to tell us about?"

"Scam….?"

"Yeah, you know, like, a scam. You, like, didn't tell us about it or something…?" Spook asked feebly. Even Brain knew that if it was a scam that required a fake death and a year separated from each other, Top Cat either wouldn't do it or would have the gang vote on it at the very least.

"Listen up, I don't do _scams,_"Top Cat—Dave--said angrily. "I don't know who you are and I don't know what you're talking about. So just leave me alone." He turned and started back towards the bar.

"Um…." Benny racked his brains for something to salvage the conversation. "Uh, in kindergarten you named the pet lizard Petey and for lack of a better name the teacher let us keep it," he blurted, hoping that reminding Top Cat something about his past would make him remember.

He kept walking.

Spook tried. "You, like, uh…you managed to make Benny look like the mayor when his mom came to visit!"

Choo-Choo followed up. "You wrote love letters to a girl I liked for me and then her French boyfriend got mad and you dueled him for me!"

"You, uuh, turned the alley into a fake museum once!!" Brain practically yelled.

"You found a baby on a doorstep and we raised it until Dibble found its mom!" Fancy added desperately. But the back door had already closed.

* * *

_What is WRONG with these people? _Dave thought to himself. _If they thought I was someone else, that's one thing, but to keep pestering at me like this until I admit I was supposedly someone else? I mean, seriously…who names a pet lizard 'Petey'?_

_I'm an accountant from New Jersey, _he reminded himself as fake memories tried to force their way into his mind, courtesy of the five mystery guests in the alley. _I've always lived in New Jersey…that's what that one guy told me…I'm here on a business trip…_

All this ran through his mind as he closed the door, blocking out the frantic yells from the five cats who claimed he was someone else. The last word he heard was "Dibble."

Wait a minute…Dibble…?

That word…it was so foreign and yet so familiar…why did he feel like he'd heard it somewhere before?

Dibble…

A sliver of a memory flashed through his mind, like a fish darting through an upriver stream. It wasn't even a memory, really, but more like vague pictures in his mind's eye…handcuffs, a phone, and lots of blue…

Unable to control himself, Dave found that he had pushed open the back door and practically run into the back alley.

"Did you say _Dibble?_"

* * *

So many questions, so little time. Hope you enjoyed Ch. 4 (On request of one of my reviewers I attempted to use more metaphors and stuff, but I'm not sure it went over well. I was never quite good at descriptions.) I ask again (Well, actually, it's more like pleading): please review!! :).


	5. Chapter 5

Whoo, I finally got Ch. 5 up!! As a heads-up to my readers, there might be grammar problems in the dialogue in the chapters to come because I decided that a gang of alley cats in New York would not talk with perfect dialect, like I've been giving them. So you're going to see a lot more "gonna", "wanna", and other words like that. I don't know if you guys actually care, but I felt like saying something. So...enjoy Ch. 5!! And please review, even if it's to say something bad!! PLEEZE? :)

EL Ch. 5

* * *

"We used to live _here?" _ Dave asked, not even trying to hide the suspicion in his voice. Not only was he still not entirely sure he could trust these cats, but he was starting to think it had been a mistake to follow them away from the bar into a series of dark and confusing alleys. Alleys he had no way of getting out of.

But there was still a small flicker of…well, _something _in the back of his mind, turning on and off like a firefly. That something told him to trust and listen to whoever these people were. That something was the entire reason he'd taken the risk and followed the five cats in the first place.

Common sense and the disheveled alley staring back at him, however, told him he was nuts.

"Are you guys _crazy?" _he asked after no one answered his previous question. "Nobody with half a brain would live here."

Apparently his comment had caught them more off guard than his first one, which was saying something because it seemed like they'd been caught off guard as soon as they entered the Alley. It was almost like someplace sacred. Now they just looked at him with sad expressions.

"But…TC…"

Dave wheeled on Fancy. Or he was pretty sure it was Fancy, he still didn't really know their faces.

"Look, _Fancy, _if that's your real name, _my _real name is _Dave, _got it?"

"Uh…Top Ca…" the little chubby cat caught himself before he could finish the name, "..er, Dave…that's Brain."

"I'm Fancy," the cat with tan fur and a white scarf said, his tone a mixture of disappointment and amusement.

"Oh, good, I thought I had my name wrong for all those years…" Brain said with relief.

"Oh…" Dave couldn't help but feel a little bad. Until the chubby cat (Benny?) started chuckling.

"You sounded like your old self there for a minute," he said.

Dave sighed. His "old self" had been all they talked about the entire walk here. According to them, random break-outs of monologue had been quite normal for him. Among the adjectives they'd used to describe him had been controlling, persuasive, persistent, and 'plannivasive'. (That last one was courtesy of the pink cat, who he was 99 percent sure was named Choo-Choo. After mocking him for a made-up word, the gang, for some reason, agreed.) He was tired of hearing about all of his law-breaking schemes and other non-attractive traits. The only thing keeping him from blowing up was the flicker in the back of his mind, which, for some reason, seemed to be responding to a particular trash can by a post with a telephone. He walked over to it, studying it as an archaeologist might study a new find.

"You'd think they'd take the trash out once in a while," he mused to himself, not entirely sure what he meant by that statement.

"That used to be _your _trash can," Benny said, appearing suddenly at Dave's side. "Yeah, it was our headquarters," Choo-Choo added.

Dave took off the lid and peered inside, where, surprisingly, there was no trash, unlike the other few cans in the area, which were close to overflowing.

"A trash can. Our headquarters?" he asked. Dave was really quite lost now.

"Yeah, it was the place where you crashed," the green cat, who Dave logically deduced was called Spook, said. "Like, you got the trash can, me and Fancy got some cardboard boxes, Benny got an old chair someone threw out, Choo-Choo got a hammock, and Brain…wait…" Spook stopped and turned to Brain. "Where _did _you sleep?"

"Well, I…uh…I don't remember," Brain said, now turning away and mumbling to himself, furiously attempting to remember the place where he'd slept so long ago.

Dave was only half-listening. A shiny object at the bottom of the trash can had caught his attention. Stretching his arm out as far as he could go, he still couldn't reach. Just a little more….

And suddenly his entire face was smashed up against cold metal while his legs flailed in the air.

"Ooooow," he groaned, even though it hadn't really hurt all that much. The sound effect was really just because he was extremely annoyed. Unfortunately, he could hear laughter outside the silver walls. That just made it worse. He hated it when people laughed at him and he hadn't meant it intentionally.

Attempting to attain a new position that was _not _face-first against the bottom of the can turned out not to be as difficult as it seemed. The trash can, surprisingly, was fairly large and Dave found that he could curl up in it in quite a comfortable manner. The shiny object that had caused him to fall in the first place was on the floor. It looked like a whistle of some sort.

When he stood, he realized that he had a good view, too. The height made him feel powerful and important without giving off the impression of an evil dictator. He really liked the feel.

Now if only they would stop laughing at him.

"All right, guys, you had your laugh," he said. "I guess watching me fall face first into a cold, hard can is your idea of a good time, huh?"

"You did it again!" Choo-Choo almost screamed. "That's just the kind of sentence you would have said if you weren't…um…in your condition." He looked quite pleased with himself for recognizing the type of sentence his beloved "Top Cat" would have said. Or maybe he was just happy to have heard it.

"Yeah…" Dave said, not quite sure how to respond.

"Hey, T…Dave, whatcha holdin'?" Spook asked, although it almost seemed like he knew what it was.

"I don't know. A whistle of some sort." He dropped it into Spook's outstretched hand.

"Hey…I recognize this," he almost whispered. "Isn't this the whistle TC used when he, like, couldn't do the normal signal?"

"Yeah," Fancy, said. "I thought it looked familiar."

"Top Cat used to have a whistle?" Dave asked.

"Well you…um, Top Cat would always use trash can lids, but if for some reason he couldn't use those he would use this whistle to get us all together."

"Oh. K," Dave really didn't understand.

"You don't remember the trash can lids?" Benny asked.

"Here, try 'em out," Spook said, handing them up. Dave took them with unsure hands. After holding them in front of his face for a few seconds, he realized he had no clue what to do.

"Um…what do I do?" he asked, watching disappointment replace hopeful expressions on each one of their faces.

"You just…bang 'em together," Choo-Choo said, obviously disheartened by the fact that Dave was clueless as ever.

Dave looked at the lids in his hand. And, strangely enough, he suddenly felt a wave of déjà vu—he felt like if he banged them together, something monumental might happen. Something that could clear up Dave's problems. Something truly amazing. Slowly, he drew the lids apart, and was about to crash them together when a startled voice from the other end of the alley caused him to drop the lids before the impact could ensue.

"_Holy_…."

That one word was all the policeman at the other end of the Alley seemed capable of saying as he stared incredulously at the gang of cats.


	6. Chapter 6

Just wanted to say something real quick: In the last chapter, Spook mentioned the gang's sleeping quarters

Just wanted to say something real quick: In the last chapter, Spook mentioned the gang's sleeping quarters. I have no idea where they actually slept, I'm pretty sure the show never mentioned anything like that, so I decided to just make them all sleep in random places in the Alley. I was going to mention that in an author's blurb last chapter but I forgot, so now you know.

Concerning this chapter—nothing unusual, just the normal "Enjoy!" and then the "I plead, please review!!"

EL Ch. 6

* * *

For a few seconds, the policeman just stood there, dumbfounded. Dave had no idea as to what could make someone, much less a policeman, completely freeze on the spot, but apparently they had done it.

"He-ey, Dibble!" Fancy called, sounding surprised and nostalgic at the same time.

"What's, like, up, man?" Spook said, his tone similar to Fancy's.

Dibble. There was that word again, the word that made him think of lots of blue and handcuffs. Well it made sense since Dibble was a policeman. The firefly in the back of Dave's mind furiously tried to light up the recesses of his brain, but it didn't succeed. In retrospect, it really just made it darker. The policeman (who Dave could safely assume was Dibble) continued to stare, although Dave noticed that the trash can he currently resided in was out of Dibble's field of vision.

"Uh, Dibble?" Choo-Choo asked.

"Come on, Dibble, don't give us the cold shoulder," Benny said, now worried that he was doomed to an eternity of being ignored by Dibble.

Dibble just shook his head and blinked his eyes, like he was trying to make the sight in front of him disappear. Which was funny, because Dave could have sworn a few seconds ago, at the first sight of the gang, that Dibble's black but friendly eyes had regained a spark of hope it looked like they had lost a long time ago. But then again, maybe he was trying to make sure it wasn't all a dream.

"You guys…" he said, his voice close to a whisper. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"We're, like, here for old time's sake," Spook said casually.

"Yeah, Dibb, you miss us?" Choo-Choo inquired.

"I bet he did," Benny said.

"Are you kidding? Of course I—" Dibble stopped himself. "I mean, are you kidding? For the first time in years there's been peace in this alley. My beat's actually been _enjoyable _for once. Without you guys creating havoc, the city's not nearly as crime-ridden."

Much to Dave's surprise, the gang's expressions didn't emanate sad disappointment, but rather seemed to glow with happiness. It appeared that Dibble's previous statement was the equivalent of a compliment.

"Is that why you're patrolling in the middle of the night?" Choo-Choo asked, noting the large coffee Dibble held in his hand.

"It's not the middle of the night, you dopes, the sun's coming up. I got the very-early morning shift. They only give the night patrols to the suckers who need to advance on their rank. But the dawn shift is for the hearty men who know they can protect the waking citizens."

"Waking citizens? Nobody wakes up at the crack of dawn! Face it, Dibb, the real crime happens in the middle of the night, not when the sun's comin' up."

_Now why did I go and say that? _Dave thought to himself immediately after the comment popped out. _I hate sarcasm…which is weird, I've been using it a lot these past few hours…and I hate nicknames, so I don't know where 'Dibb' came from…_

Dave was wrenched from his worried thoughts by the sound of a Styrofoam cup hitting hard concrete, which really didn't make a whole lot of noise but was strangely noticeable nonetheless. Maybe it was because Dibble didn't seem like the kind of guy who dropped things too often.

"Top…Cat…?" he asked, his voice back to the strange whisper he'd used when he first saw the gang, with a more hollow tone to it.

"Um…well, Dibble, there's something you should know…" Fancy tried to explain, but Dibble cut him off.

"Top Cat, what the heck _happened?" _Dibble asked, his tone going from surprised relief to almost angry."One day you're here, and the next the gang's freaking out, telling me you're _not _where you're supposed to be, and then you don't show up for a _week, _which causes _me _to freak out, and then we find your stupid hat in the river, which, by the way, was quite an unpleasant surprise—"

"DIBBLE!" the simultaneous cry from the members of the group (excluding Dave, who was actually listening intently to Dibble's outburst), finally caught the policeman's attention.

"Look, Dibble, TC here...he…doesn't remember anything," Spook tried to explain.

"Yeah, we don't know why," Fancy added.

"It's really rather infuriatin'," Choo-Choo added. The gang shot him confused stares. Choo-Choo was definitely not capable of experiencing anything close to 'infuriation'.

"Well…I mean, not in a bad way…not in a way that makes me mad _at _TC…" he tried to explain. Naturally, he failed.

Shaking his head, Fancy turned back to Dibble. "Point is, Dibble, that Top Cat here thinks his name is Dave and we don't know why. Actually, _he_ doesn't know why, either."

"Wait, what?"

Benny sighed. "Top—I mean, Dave, explain it to him."

"How am _I_ supposed to explain it to him?" Dave asked. Heck, he knew less than they did about the current situation. Or he was pretty sure he did…

"Just do it," Fancy said.

Dave looked up and met Dibble's confused stare. "Well, um, it's Dibble, right? Look, my name is Dave Smith, I'm an accountant from New Jersey on a business trip. I'm sorry to have confused you, but these guys just found me in a bar last night and they're convinced I'm this 'Top Cat' you guys keep talking about. I'm really not…sorry…"

Dibble continued to stare. Then, very slowly, like he was coming to a realization, he said, "I think you are. That wisecrack from earlier was something only Top Cat would have done."

"I'm sure other people would have taken advantage of the opportunity to make a sarcastic comment."

"Well, yeah, but you're the only one who could say it in that infuriatin' tone you always use."

"Heh. Can't argue with that," Benny said. "Come on, TC—"

"Dave."

"Dave, you've been saying such, well, Top Cat-like things all night. Everyone agrees: why won't you admit that you _are _Top Cat?"

"But I'm _not_!"

"Who _are _you, then?" Dibble asked.

"I told you, I'm an accountant from New Jersey on a—"

"No, _Dave, _who _are _you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where, exactly, do you live? Who are your friends? What are your hobbies? What are your special memories? You know, forget all the previous questions, just answer the special memories part."

Dibble's question had Dave taken aback. Somehow he knew this was going to come up, but he'd been trying to avoid it. _Which is funny, _he thought, _I could have avoided all this in the first place by just telling them the truth—that I'm Dave Smith._

"Well, you see, I…um…about a year ago, I was on vacation with a pal of mine in New York. We'd been walking through the park when some kid's ball hit me in the head and then…I couldn't remember who I was. But my pal told me everything and set me straight, so, really, it's nothing."

Dibble, being a policeman, knew a phony story when he heard one. (Unless a certain someone with the initials T.C. told it, then he could never be sure, which complicated the matter.)

"Uh-huh, right, and who was your pal?"

"His name's S. T. Blues. He's a cat."

"S. T. Blues? What kind of name is that?"

"I dunno, I always just called him S.T."

"Hmm."

Dibble pondered this for a few moments. Truth was, this entire story didn't ring true to him—first, a cat who was undoubtedly Top Cat claiming he was somebody else was just uncanny. But to have him "lose his memory" at the same time Top Cat disappeared? Things like that just didn't happen. He'd have to track down this S.T. Blues character.

Brain interrupted Dibble's thoughts with an excited outburst.

"Hey, fellas! Duh, I gots an idea!"

"What…?" It was no surprise that the mutters of confusion and, quite frankly, disbelief all came simultaneously.

"Aw, come on, guys, it'll help TC get his memory back."

* * *

Oh dear. Brain had an idea. This should go over well. :). So, 'Dave' has enlightened us with a story about his past, INCLUDING a name. (For anybody who wants to make guesses, feel free to message me. I tried my best to foreshadow something without totally giving it away, lol.) And we have Dibble's expert opinion on the whole matter. Stay tuned :).


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, readers! Sorry it took so long for me to upload this chapter. Excuses: I had writer's block, I was busy, and I got lazy. Anyway, this is a pretty important chapter, so pay close attention. :). But most of all, enjoy.

El Ch. 7

* * *

The purple vest the pudgy owner of the Laundromat held in front of him was nothing special. Although you could tell it had been cleaned and pressed and fixed up, there was still a tattered look to it. It seemed like a jacket an older sibling would donate to a younger one when the parent didn't want to spend money on unnecessary clothing. And yet Mr. Pedge brandished it in front of Dave like it was the best suit money could buy.

"Well, TC, what do you think?" Mr. Pedge had not stopped grinning since Dave, accompanied by Dibble and the gang, strolled into his Laundromat on 3rd Street as casually as if they were picking up yesterday's dry-cleaning. To Dave, the reason they were here was definitely not casual—according to Brain's plan, he would "get his memory back, duh, like he never lost it" if he "wore the clothes he used to."

The only problem was that, naturally, Top Cat's clothes disappeared along with Top Cat. (Except for his hat, which Dave was surprised to find out Dibble had kept. Even more surprising was the fact that, apparently, Top Cat's hat basically embodied his whole personality—according to the gang he was never seen without it. Dave had never been a hat person.) Luckily, Top Cat always kept an extra vest at Mr. Pedge's, although Mr. Pedge himself hadn't known this until he finally got around to cleaning his back storage room. Nobody knew how Top Cat managed to get his vest in there, but Mr. Pedge, embracing his sentimental side, kept it after hearing the 'bad news.'

The 'bad news' a year ago apparently affected everyone within a mile's radius of the Alley, probably more. To Dave, this didn't make a whole lot of sense. From the countless stories and descriptions he had been forced to listen to, Top Cat seemed like a tyrannical, controlling presence who tried to scam pretty much everyone he met, including Dibble, a police officer. How was it that someone so…well, _criminal _could touch the lives of so many people like that? Just walking the block to the Laundromat had taken almost an hour because of all the people who stopped and demanded explanations of Dave's presence. A lot of them, to Dave's amusement, seemed almost on the verge of happy tears. He would never understand it.

"It's…uh…well, it's…I've never seen one like it before…" Dave tried his best to mask his true feelings about the suit. Mr. Pedge's crestfallen expression told him he had failed miserably.

"Eh, Mr. Pedge…Top Cat here's not himself, remember," Dibble said, rather sadly.

"I know…I know. Will you just try it on, TC?" Mr. Pedge asked hopefully.

Dave wanted to resist, mostly because yet another person had called him TC. But the flicker of hopeful recognition in the Laundromat owner's dark eyes wouldn't let him. Sighing, he reached for the suit.

_ Why am I still _here? The thought had been running through his mind for the last few hours. Actually, ever since he arrived at The Alley. And the frustrating thing about the question was that he couldn't find the answer. The only explanation that came anywhere near the truth was that there was something nagging at the back of his mind, and it seemed to grow stronger with every story the gang and Dibble told. Every name, every place, even every trick…they all added up and Dave couldn't get rid of the feeling that any moment now something was going to trigger a huge reaction. What, he didn't know, but…

Wait. That was it.

His paw had just touched the worn purple suit. At the touch of the surprisingly familiar material, he felt a jolt of memory, and a fuzzy scene formed in his mind.

_ He was angry. A shape in front of him, a person, was making him angry…he moved forward to confront the shape…then the world shifted, the shape grew smaller, he was falling…wet…?_

"DAVE!"

The shout from Dibble tore Dave from his memory.

"Snap out of it, Dave, what got _into _you?"

"I…I…don't know…"

Something was holding Dave back from letting them know about the memory. Maybe it was logic, it wasn't like anyone was going to believe him. After all, the scene had come in fuzzy and incomplete, like an old TV with bad reception.

Great. He was now comparing his brain to an old television set.

There was that sarcasm again. When had he used so much of _that? _

"Are you alright?" Oddly enough, Dibble sounded genuinely concerned.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I'll go try on the suit now…"

Shaking his head, Dave walked through the door to the back storage room that Mr. Pedge held open for him.

* * *

The mirror had to be rigged. It _so _had to be.

Dave was definitely not looking at himself.

Instead, he was looking at a yellow cat wearing an old purple vest. A matching hat sat on top of his head, showing his ears and giving off a vibe of confident suaveness. He felt like he could persuade someone to jump off a bridge with no problem if he felt like it.

Dave didn't feel like Dave Smith anymore.

But he certainly didn't feel like Top Cat. Who everyone suddenly expected him to be.

"You're _sure _you don't feel any different?" Fancy asked, disbelief still in his voice.

"Fancy, if I felt any different, I would've told you the second I put it on."

Half-true. Wasn't like anyone would understand the feeling he had.

Benny laughed. "Aw, come on, ya sounded just like TC right then, TC. I mean Dave…"

Normally Dave would have fixed a death glare on Benny right then, or anyone else who called him TC, but right now his reflection was all he could focus on. Seriously, the mirror had to be rigged.

But maybe not.

Another fuzzy memory was forcing its way back into the forefront of his brain. This one, however, was much fuzzier than the previous one.

C_urled up in the perfect position for a good night's sleep…dozing off…the space around him was shaking…a loud clanging sound…he was fully awake now…dark shape…surprise, then anger, then just plain curiosity…_

The confusing memory might have gone on longer if that infernal bell rigged to the front door hadn't gone off.

Turning around to stare angrily at whoever had screwed up a possibly important memory by simply walking into the laundromat, Dave saw he was staring only at a swinging door.

"Huh…" Mr. Pedge mused. "Wonder why a customer would come all the way to the Laundromat and leave so quickly…"

He and Dibble shook their heads and muttered to themselves about the impropriety of today's youth while Dave tried to remember where he had seen the cat who had just darted around the corner before.

* * *

BUM BUM BUM!! Who IS the mysterious cat who came into the laundromat and then left? And why did he/she leave? What are Dave's memories trying to say? Ch. 8 might have some answers :). And then again, it might not. It's very possible that it'll just make things more confusing.

Review, please!!

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

EL Ch. 8

Enjoy!! :).

* * *

As Bo ran as fast as his little legs could carry him through the streets of New York, one thought kept recurring in his head:

_How did they _find _him? _

A.T., or S.T. as he demanded Bo call him when they were around this area, was _not _going to be happy. The fact that those low-life gang members were involved was bad enough, but that stupid police officer? Even a second-rate policeman like him would sense something wrong with Top Cat's—or, Dave's—story. (Everyone's name was being changed nowadays. S.T. even called Bo "Agent X" just to spice things up.)

Such a shame, too, S.T.'s plan would have been foolproof. It got Top Cat out of the picture without S.T. having to do something he didn't want to.

And when S.T. did something he didn't want to do, there was usually mutual agreement by all parties involved.

By the time Bo reached the hotel he and S.T. were staying at, he had rejected every possible conversation starter he'd come up with. Bad ideas still swarmed his brain as he slowly opened the door to Room 33.

S.T. sat at the window, staring across the river while he smoked a cigar and counted a wad of cash.

"Hey, A.T.," Bo said lightly to start the conversation. Before he could continue, S.T. cut him off.

"Ay, Bo, 'member that name you're supposed ta call me?"

"Right, sorry, S.T., slipped my mind…"

"No harm done, jest try ta remember next time, kay, Agent X? Now whatcha wanna tell me?"

"Uh…well…hehe…just wanted to ask…do you know if 'Dave' is supposed to be…somewhere?"

"Like where?"

"Somewhere other than New Jersey?"

"Well I haven't talked to him in a while…got real busy with some of my deals, ya know?"

"Yeah, but are you—"

"I gotta tell ya, Bo, TC's old turf is _rich! _What I did a year ago has gotta be one of the best moves I ever made. If old TC had swallowed his stupid so-called 'pride' and done what I'm doing now, he and his gang coulda been livin' large."

"Uh, yeah, boss, I guess…"

"Personally, I think the reason he didn't start doin' my deals is cuz he couldn't think of it first. TC never could handle it when I was better at him than somethin'. Which, by the way, was always."

"Yeah, boss…"

"I mean, remember when we came here for the first time? The first thought I had when I saw him was '_That's _the leader over here?' I knew then I'd have no trouble toppling him off his pretentious throne. Even if it did take a couple a years."

"Yeah, I know, but—"

"And his gang was easy to befriend. They turned on him as fast they could."

"Well, actually, S.T., that's not true. Just because they were friends with you…for a little bit…doesn't mean they turned on TC…"

"What? 'Course they did. Brain helped him pack, for heaven's sake!"

"Yeah, but it's not like they could have stopped TC from leaving, if he was going to. And it's _Brain_ you're talking about."

"I'll give you that."

"Actually, S.T., I thought TC's gang was pretty…uh…loyal…"

At that, S.T. slipped out his cigar, put his money on a nearby table, and turned around. The happy, joking tones he had used at the start of the conversation completely faded from his voice.

"Bo, what are you getting at?"

"He's here. With them. They know," he blurted. How else was he supposed to say something like that?

"_What?"_

" I don't know why and I don't know how, but he's here and they've found him."

"You're talking about Dave, right? As in _Top Cat_?"

Bo nodded, now unable to speak. This could ruin S.T.'s entire plan. Heck, his entire _life, _since it pretty much revolved around his new empire here in New York.

S.T.'s facial expression, unfortunately for Bo, was unreadable. Bo couldn't get any emotion from his tone of voice, either.

"By 'they', you mean…his old gang, right?"

"Yeah."

"No one else?"

"That stupid police officer."

"_Dribble?"_

"Yeah, well, Dibble…"

S.T.'s face fell into that blank, unreadable expression again. Revenge and a tinge of regret laced his voice.

"You know what we're gonna have to do now, right, Agent X?"

Bo had an idea, but he shook his head anyway.

"What we _should_ have done a year ago."

That couldn't be good.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter holds some pretty major clues as to who the villain of the story is. Unfortunately, you need to have seen a certain episode of Top Cat to really get it. But if you haven't seen said episode, don't fret, everything will be explained in later chapters. (Although it is a good episode, so if you somehow find out which episode I'm talking about, feel free to watch it.) So, hope I haven't given anything away...or, at least, something I didn't MEAN to give away...

Review please? Id appreciate it!! :).

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all! It took a while to write this chapter, but it's longer than most of the others and I spent, like, two hours a night for a week making sure it got the right message across. I think it turned out pretty well. :). So enjoy!!

EL Ch. 9

* * *

It wasn't that the vest was uncomfortable. On the contrary, Dave found it extremely comfortable, a soft, broken-in fabric fitted perfectly to his furry little body.

It was that he didn't feel like himself in it. The instant he put on the vest, Dave felt like he transformed from the quiet, serious cat from New Jersey into a…different cat. He felt more confident, more…he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Eccentric? Bold? Persuasive? Maybe some new emotion that combined all three.

And the hat didn't help. The hat just added a cocky air to the whole ensemble. Dave had never been cocky in his life, he liked to go by the saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." It was a good quote, explaining how one should never assume they'd come out on top because something could go wrong. Dave practically lived his life by it.

Too bad he'd totally chucked his philosophy to the side last night. Stupid Joe, convincing him to have some fun and play a round of dice, something Dave normally wouldn't do. Unless pressured by a friend. He was never listening to Joe again.

Suddenly Dave stopped short. _Oh no, Oh no….this is bad…_

Dibble noticed Dave had stopped right away. Mostly because he nearly tripped over him.

"Hey, whatcha stop for, TC?" After receiving a glare from the short yellow cat, Dibble changed his question. "I mean…Dave. It's getting late, you guys need to get back to The Alley," he said, nodding his head towards the setting sun. (Dave had learned that Dibble, being a policeman, could be rather protective sometimes.)

"I just remembered that I was supposed to call Joe and my other associates when I was…done… with you guys. They expected me to call quite a while ago…"

At that, Benny turned to a nearby telephone pole and commenced banging his head against the wood.

"Uh…what's wrong…?" Choo-Choo asked, backing away from the inflicted pole.

Benny answered in short, rhythmic words with the sound of skull hitting wood in between. "I totally…forgot…my mother…she probably…thinks…I've been…assassinated…"

Dave could see the entire gang struggling to hold back laughter. They were unsuccessful.

Benny paused banging his head against the pole to glare at everyone. "Aw, come _on, _guys, my poor old ma overreacts about stuff like this all the time! She's probably freaking out right about now…I really hope she hasn't called anyone yet…"

"You know Benny's right, " Dibble said sternly over everyone's laughter. "You shouldn't worry the people who care about you." He glanced sideways at Dave, who looked down to avoid the gaze, not sure if the remark was aimed at him or TC. Dibble shook his head and said, "Let's find a payphone," as he slowly walked ahead.

Dave didn't fully get why the gang was laughing, but what he didn't get most was Dibble. From what the gang had told him, Dibble was the one who ruined TC's operations and all-in-all enforced the laws TC and company didn't feel they needed to obey. The stories made him out as a tyrannical presence who ruined everything and was to be avoided at all times.

So why did Dibble care so much now? He'd been with them all day and had been much more friendly than the stories Dave had heard from the gang. Dibble seemed to care. Dave had caught him occasionally glancing over at the gang and smiling like he had just found an old, beloved toy he hadn't seen in years. Then he'd glance at Dave and the smile would be replaced by a sad and mystified expression.

Dave didn't understand it any more than he understood the fact that he was once the powerful and persuasive leader of a gang of New York alley cats. Or, at least, that people were telling him that.

As he blindly followed Dibble, Dave tried desperately to recollect one of the fuzzy gray memories currently making his life difficult.

It wasn't working well.

Maybe he needed a trigger. In the past something had always triggered the weird memories. They'd just popped up when they recognized something familiar.

Dave looked up in search of something. A random picture of the Mayor, the wanted poster for someone named Cha Cha Charlie…not helpful…a line of laundry flapping in the breeze…a red telephone hanging on a pole…

Wait. The red telephone. Something trapped in the recesses of his memory was trying to escape, Dave knew it was. He tried desperately to coax it to the surface as Dibble handed the phone to Benny.

It worked.

_He_ _was incredibly angry. Yelling at a silhouette in front of him, he stepped forward, rather threateningly, then the silhouette said something…now he was just confused…he halted, but he wasn't scared, just a little surprised, maybe apprehensive…then something hit him hard and all was black…wet…_

It was over. Dave was a little taken aback that the memory had ended so abruptly, but at the same time he wasn't surprised. His last memory had ended that way, too.

Was there a connection? The memory was basically the same as last time, albeit a little more detailed. So did that mean that a year ago, if he _had _been Top Cat, that he had gotten angry at someone and then…that someone knocked him off a bridge?

Actually, now that he thought about it, the gang had never told him exactly what happened to Top Cat a year ago. Dave debated whether or not to ask about it as Benny finished the conversation with his mother.

"No, Ma, I'm _fine. _Remember those friends I told you I'd found….? Yeah, yeah, the senator and the translator. Those guys……uh, well, no, not the chauffeur….not really…yes, Ma, by all means, please tell the police you found me…actually, I'm _with _a policeman right now, so you don't need to worry…Ma, for the _last time, _I'm _fine._"

Dibble, struggling not to laugh, took the phone from Benny and placed it on the receiver, Benny not being tall enough to do so.

"That'll teach you a thing or two about wandering the city without anyone knowing where you are," Dibble said in an authoritative tone that confirmed his role as a policeman.

"T…Dave, did you want to call those other…guys?"

Dave noticed that Dibble didn't seem to be able to wrap his mind around the fact that Dave had a posse.

Faintly amused, Dave accepted the phone Dibble handed to him.

* * *

Next chapter brings some major conflicts and sets up the climax!! Exciting, no? But I'm not saying anything else. :). Review, please! I'd appreciate it!


	10. Chapter 10

Nothing to say here except my usual "Enjoy!" Except that this chapter's really short...but it sets up some important stuff...

EL Ch. 10

* * *

Bo enjoyed working for S.T. He really did. That was why he had helped with the whole "get rid of Top Cat" thing in the first place. He understood that his boss was jealous of TC, and that even after they left New York why S.T. couldn't get him out of his mind. The happiness his friend experienced after getting rid of TC made Bo feel happy, too.

Which explained the feeling Bo was experiencing as he delivered the good news.

"Yep, S.T., they're all there. And it doesn't look like any of 'em are leaving anytime soon."

S.T. grinned. "Perfect."

* * *

Dave slowly replaced the phone on the hook as the information Joe had just given him sunk in. That phone call had not gone well. Besides the weird, eerie feeling of being watched that Dave couldn't shake, he'd had to deal with angry friends and bad news.

Huh. Angry friends. It was strange, lately Dave hadn't been able to think of Joe and the others as his friends. Now when he heard the word, the image that popped up of the cats at the accounting firm was replaced by the rag-tag group of cats in the alley. That worried him a little.

Especially since the bad news. Which, in any other case, would be considered good news. _Great _news, really. Slowly, Dave turned to the gang, who were playing poker or something with cards whisked out of a hidden pocket of Choo-Choo's.

"Uh…" he cleared his throat to get the attention of the gang and Dibble, who was lounging against the fence talking on a radio. He was surprised at how quickly they all responded, turning their heads toward the crate Dave was standing on.

"Uh…hehe…look…it's, uh…I…" Dave sighed and just spit it out. "I have to go."

Silence met his statement.

"Our accounting firm just landed a deal we'd been trying to make. Actually, the deal was the entire point of our trip…and now that the deal's made, the trip's kind of…over."

"Wait…but that doesn't mean…?" Benny looked close to tears.

Dave nodded. "Yeah. I have to go. "

"But you _can't _go!" Fancy said.

"Yeah, TC, you can't just…_leave," _Spook agreed.

Dave sighed again. "But, guys, I'm _not _Top Cat. I thought I might be for a little while, but I'm just…not. I appreciate all you guys have done for me today, and I'm really sorry that this Top Cat guy disappeared, but…I'm not him."

He knew what everyone was thinking even if they weren't saying it.

He _was _Top Cat. It was undeniable, he obviously looked exactly like him and apparently sounded like him. Heck, he even _felt _like him a couple of times, not that he'd told anyone.

But there was nothing to be done. He didn't remember, aside from the weird gray memories, and that was that. He had to go. He had to get back to his life as Dave.

Sighing, knowing he had no choice, Dave said, "I'll send the vest and hat to the precinct once I get back to my hotel and change."

Dibble shook his head, the sadness and loss emanating from his dark eyes almost unbearable. "You keep them."

Slowly, Dave nodded, not sure what else to say.

Then he turned and walked away.

* * *

I know. Kind of a sad chapter, but it's not the end yet!! Review, please!


	11. Chapter 11

Yay! Chapter 11! Originally this was going to be shorter, but I decided to combine Chapters 11 and 12 because they were both so short. :). Enjoy!!

EL Ch. 11

* * *

"Wait…did he really leave…?" Brain asked in an unbelieving, disappointed tone.

"I'm afraid so," Choo-Choo answered sadly.

"I guess it was for the best," Dibble said, leaning back against the fence. Although his voice seemed to be strong and steady, it was obvious he was trying hard to keep it from shaking. "We had no right to take him from that bar. Or, _you _guys didn't. I mean, he might not even _be _Top Cat…"

"You know as well as I do that he was Top Cat!" Benny almost yelled, surprising everyone in the group. "Even _Brain _knows it!"

Brain nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Dibble, why'd you let him go?" Choo-Choo asked.

" I had to, Choo-Choo."

"Why?"

"Cuz I just _had _to!"

"But—"

"Just drop it!" Dibble snapped. "The gang's done, guys. I _know _it's hard to accept, but it's _done. _The past is _over. _Maybe for a while we thought we might be able to get it back, but we _can't. _And I, for one, am _glad _it's done! My beat's been peaceful and law-abiding since you guys left, without Top Cat here to screw up…screw up…"

Dibble couldn't speak after that. Because, to be quite honest, he knew he was lying. The relationship between him and the gang, him and Top Cat, was complex. The gang never did anything truly illegal—at least, nothing big. The raffles and scams had to be stopped, sure, but they were harmless. Dibble found them rather amusing, and the only reason he was usually so hard on them was to preserve his reputation at the precinct and to stop the scams before they escalated into something big. The year without those daily activities had just…well, it almost wasn't fun being a policeman anymore.

He missed seeing the gang everyday. Each and every one of them. He missed the arguments everyday. He missed…he missed Top Cat. The hardest thing about the past year was that he hadn't known where Top Cat was, if he was dead, or how he died. Being a policeman, he usually investigated disappearances like that, and not knowing what happened tore him up inside. And now that Top Cat had been found, and Dibble had almost regained the past and the friendships he secretly loved, and it was all being taken away again, he didn't think he could take it.

"I'm gonna miss him, too," Benny said after the short silence that seemed to last a lifetime.

"_Miss who?"_

Dibble, Benny, Choo-Choo, Fancy, Spook, and Brain all turned to meet the strange silhouette standing in the entrance to the Alley.

* * *

_Why won't this headache go _away? Dave wondered as he walked through yet another alley. He was totally lost. Unfortunately, wondering just made his head hurt more.

All logic told Dave that his headache was the result of a sleepless 24 hours and the fact that he hadn't eaten since the night before. But that stupid firefly at the back of his brain was saying something else. Or rather screaming it. And he couldn't make it go away.

A loud clanging noise and a sudden sharp pain tore Dave away from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw that he had clumsily run into two random trash can lids in the middle of the alley. What they were doing so far away from their cans, he didn't know. But he figured he could at least put them back so the alley looked neater.

He dropped them as soon as he picked them up.

It had happened again. That weird, warm, familiar feeling he'd felt after he heard the word "Dibble" for the first time. The feeling he'd experienced after putting on the vest. The same feeling as when he saw the red phone back in the Alley. And now that he thought about it, the _exact _same feeling he'd had when he picked up two trash can lids for the first time just that morning.

_These were a signal, _Dave remembered. _For a meeting or gathering or something. Dibble interrupted me when I tried to use them earlier. _

Well there was no one here now. Slowly, he picked them both up, raised them apart, and banged them together.

* * *

:) Reviews would be appreciated. :)


	12. Chapter 12

I FINALLY got the chapter up!! Yay me!! Seriously, I can't say anything else or I'll give it all away...although I will say that Spook has a line near the beginning that some of you may not get because he's referring to something that happened in a certain episode (the episode this story is based off, actually), and that I'm quite tired so there might be a few more mistakes than normal...took me forever to write this, too...enjoy!!

* * *

Dibble was the first to recover.

"And who, might I ask, are you?" His tone suggested that he wasn't asking.

"My good police officer, surely you must remember me?" the tall brown cat leaning against the fence asked in response.

"No. I'm not so sure I _do_."

"Like, I remember him," Spook offered. "He came around to New York a long time ago and tried to take over Top Cat's turf. We were friends with him for a little while."

"Yeah. Until he used us to get information about TC," Choo-Choo said.

"That was, like, harsh, man. I really wanted to know why the creature ate the monster…' Spook agreed.

Dibble's eyes squinted in recognition. "Oh yeah, _now _I remember you. You cleaned this alley once, not very well I might add, then just bolted from town."

"Well now I'm back, " the cat said, "And trust me, I'm here to stay."

"And why is that?" The inner policeman in Dibble didn't trust the cat's tone.

"Because Top Cat's gone."

The group's stunned silence gave the mystery cat an opening.

"That's right. It's _Jazz's_ turf now."

* * *

For once, he was at a loss for words.

What he felt now was better than the time he managed to worm his (and the gang's) way into Dibble's apartment for the winter. Better than the time he beat two conmen at their own game and cheated them out of the money they'd earned. Even better than the time he'd been given an honorary sergeant's badge that bestowed upon him the right to boss Dibble around. Not that he didn't do that anyway.

He dropped the trash can lids in an effort to let go of what he'd been only 10 seconds ago. He couldn't _believe _what he had gone through for a year—a job? Seriously? _That_ was going to be hard to live down.

Of course that would be after he totally _killed_ Jazz. Made him wish he had never been _born. _That was basically what Jazz had done to him, wasn't it?

Oh he was going to pay. _Big time. _

But before Top Cat could even turn around, a hard hit sent him sprawling forward into darkness.

* * *

"Whaddya mean _it's Jazz's turf now?_" Officer Dibble, who was steadily growing angrier with Jazz, demanded to know.

"I mean since TC left I generously took over!" Jazz, whose fury was also rising fast, countered.

"Generously took over?" Dibble practically spat.

"When Top Cat left, he abandoned his empire. All gangs know that when a leader disappears, another leader can step in and rebuild that empire. It's common street knowledge."

"I sure wasn't informed."

"It's true, Officer," Choo-Choo said sadly.

"Like, yeah, but not in this case," Spook glared at Jazz.

"And why is that?" he asked with a slight air of amusement.

"Because we're not letting you." The defiance in Benny's voice matched the entire gang's expressions.

Jazz laughed. "I'm sure that's a line TC fed to you. Am I right?"

"No."

"Wow. Perfect unison. TC's got you trained well. Speakin' o'which, where is that no-good son of a gun?"

"I fail to see why we would give you the answer to that," Dibble said coldly.

"How about because I need to make sure he's out of the picture?" Jazz said, a wicked gleam in his eye. "I tried that a year ago and it didn't work out so I'm gonna have to try again."

Dibble's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about fixing my mistake from a year ago! Geez, get it together! He has to have told you!"

"Told us what?"

"You mean he didn't say anything?"

"_How could he? He doesn't even know his own name!_"

Jazz stood there for a minute after Dibble's exclamation, dumbfounded. "Wait…now _wait,_ hold on a minute…are you telling me that Top Cat _still_ thinks he's Dave?"

Evidently he got his answer from the faces staring back at him.

Then he started to laugh hysterically.

"And all…HAHAHA…this time….HA…I thought…HAHAHA…I thought you were all planning on arresting…HAHA…me or something!" he managed to choke out.

While Jazz was bent over, Dibble reached into his pocket.

"All right, JAZZ, I've had enough! We're going downtown!"

But by the time Dibble's gun was raised, he was staring down the barrel of another.

"Don't even think about it," Jazz hissed.

* * *

So. If I start to say anything, I'm totally gonna ruin the rest of the story...reviews and your thoughts are welcome :). Actually, I'm begging for them. Seriously. Take a minute to express yourselves. :).

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

Yay!! Chapter 13!! Pret-ty big chapter here. Won't say anymore. But you find out LOTS o' stuff. Enjoy!!

Empty Lies: Ch. 13

* * *

"You can't be serious," Dibble said, nervously looking at the gun. To be honest, he was more afraid for the five cats in the alley than himself. He had a few tricks up his sleeve due to his job, they didn't.

Although now that he thought about, it their lifestyle sort of demanded those tricks.

Nonetheless, he felt his hand motioning for everyone else to get behind him.

"Oh, I assure you, _Officer, _I am."

"Why?"

This one simple word seemed to catch Jazz off guard, although his stance never changed and the gun never faltered.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" He snapped. He continued without waiting for a response. "Top Cat stood in the way! He needed to be rid of!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I was so stupid back then. So _stupid._"

"_What are you talking about?" _Somehow Dibble wasn't surprised to hear five other voices chiming in.

"You really want to hear?" Jazz yelled.

"_YES!!"_

"_Fine!" _He paused, as if searching his memory for the right place to begin.

"A few years ago, I started a ring in New Jersey. This ring was _making me rich._ The only way to start getting _filthy _rich was to expand into other territories and sell my…_stuff_ to more people. New York, New York was the logical next step."

"For what? What are you dealing?" Dibble asked cynically.

"What, you think I'm doing something illegal?"

"That's exactly what I think."

"Well I'm not. People need prescriptions."

"You also need a license to deal those."

"People don't care."

"They do if you give them the wrong prescriptions cuz you have no idea what you're doing."

"What people don't know won't hurt them."

"You disgust me."

"I take that as a compliment. But now back to my story. You see, _Top Cat _had already claimed territory here. You wouldn't _believe _how widely known he is. No one wanted to deal with me because they had a feeling Top Cat would disapprove. They were right. So I went right to the source."

Another pause.

"Me and my good friend Bo woke him up one night a year ago and told him we had a business transaction to discuss."

"And he actually followed you?" Fancy asked, sounding surprised.

"Ha. Not at first. He grumbled and went back to bed."

Everyone hid a smile. That was so like Top Cat.

"Then I threatened the safety of the gang. Ha, he followed me pretty quickly after that."

The smiles disappeared.

"We went out to the dock. Discussed business interactions. Like the idiot he is, he told me he didn't want anything to do with my business. In some pretty colorful language."

"But I'd planned past that. I'd made sure that if Top Cat didn't agree to my negotiations, we'd get around it. By simply getting rid of him."

Jazz muttered his next words as if it pained him to force them out.

"But unfortunately Bo had a mishap with the gun. It got jammed, he panicked, Top Cat made a sudden move at him as if to get the gun away, Bo panicked more, and so he threw the gun. Surprisingly enough, it hit TC's head square on. It was pretty easy to tell he was unconscious immediately after the impact because he fell right off the dock before either of us even knew what had happened."

"Even though that would have achieved what we set out to do in the first place, we couldn't risk his body being found. It was fairly shallow, so we found it quickly. Imagine our surprise when we realized _he was still alive._ Heck, he woke up only a few minutes after we dragged him out of the water."

He stopped to chuckle.

"And then imagine our surprise when he asked us who we were. Who _he _was. That blow to the head must have been pretty hard. And naturally I couldn't pass that kind of an opportunity up."

"No,' Dibble said angrily. "I don't suppose you _could."_

"I spun some stupid story I made up on the spot. Made up a new name."

"S.T. Blues!" Brain yelled. The entire gang turned to look at him.

"Like, how'd you figure that out?" Spook asked.

"I dunno. I just did."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Jazz yelled. "TC believed my name and his new name. Dave Smith. Isn't it _great_?"

Total silence.

"So where is he?"

"Where's who?" Choo-Choo asked.

"Don't play that with me. Especially not now. _Where is he_?"

"We dunno," Benny said.

"_Don't lie. Where is he_?"

"WE DON'T KNOW!!" Dibble yelled.

"All right. I'm tired of this. There's a reason I've got a gun."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

* * *

Ooo. Suspense. Chapter 14 should be up pretty soon. :). But then again I've got a sadly busy life. Damn school and work. Hahaha. Anyways, reviews would be greatly appreciated!! Seriously...reviews kind of make my life. Lol!


	14. Chapter 14

So I spent, like, the entire day writing this climax. :). And it's not even the whole climax!! So read and enjoy!! :).

* * *

The black that surrounded him was fading. How long had he been out?

TC shakily pushed himself up in an effort to make the rest of the black go away. Although his head swam for a moment, his vision steadied as he stood.

Angry that his elaborate revenge schemes had been interrupted, he scanned the area for the source of the attack.

And in front of him, looking confused and surprised, was Bo.

He looked like he wanted to take some sort of action, but to be honest, he had no chance. Top Cat had him by the front of his shirt before Bo had even processed what was going on.

"All right, you little _worm, _you better tell me where Jazz is or--_" _

"Well you weren'tout long…" Bo said stupidly.

"_Where. Is. Jazz?"_

Bo's plan, which had been a spur of the moment thing anyway, had apparently completely failed. His feet couldn't touch the ground, he couldn't breathe, and this was a brand new shirt. So therefore he saw no reason why he should deny Top Cat this information.

"He's back in the Alley," he said in a rush. "We both thought you were still there and that you were still Dave and Jazz needed to get rid of you and so he went to find you—"

"Wait a minute, _wait a minute, _he's in the Alley?'

"Yeah—"

"The gang's there!"

The next thing Bo knew, he was on the ground watching Top Cat running back towards the Alley.

* * *

"Now, Jazz, just _calm down,_" Dibble said in one of his soothing don't-do-anything-rash policeman voices. Although Dibble had his own gun, he knew Jazz wouldn't hesitate to fire his if Dibble did anything.

"What are you talkin' about? I'm calm as a kitten right now."

"Then how about you and I take a little walk?"

"I don't think so. You see, that might distract me from my original purpose."

Benny opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Jazz's gun was trained on him.

"Just don't say anything, k, Benny-boy?"

"Hey, you can't call me that," Benny said defiantly. "Top Cat made up that name!"

"HA. Sure is creative."

"So are you gonna just keep talking or—'

"Whoa, whoa, Benny, I think it's _you _who need to calm down," Jazz said. "In response to your unfinished question, I'm done talkin'. Its time for _action_."

"Which would be?" Choo-Choo asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"You know very well what action I'm talking about. You all know too much. _Especially _you." He swung the gun over in Dibble's direction.

"Now, Jazz—"

"Stop talking, Dibble! And say goodbye to that badge."

He raised the gun.

* * *

"…and say goodbye to that badge."

Top Cat saw Jazz raise the gun. Unfortunately, there was no time for a plan, he had to do the only thing he could think of.

"_DUCK!" _he screamed. Luckily, it worked, he saw Jazz falter and begin to turn towards the entrance to the Alley. Top Cat had already lunged.

He felt himself hit Jazz, his fingers brushed the gun, if only he could grab it—

It slipped out of his grasp as he and Jazz toppled over one another and landed sprawled on the ground.

"What the…?" he heard Dibble say. He was fairly sure he also heard Choo-Choo say something, but they were all suddenly talking at the same time and he couldn't distinguish one yell from another.

He saw the gun a few feet ahead of him, laying by Jazz, who was also trying to get to it. He catapulted himself forward, but it was too late—Jazz already had it and was pointing it at him.

TC didn't even have time to brace himself for the sharp impact of a bullet before he felt himself being smashed against the fence.

He felt his windpipe being constricted and for a second all he could see were black spots. When they cleared after a few seconds, he realized Jazz was holding him by his shirtfront and had him pinned against the fence.

"Dave?" Jazz asked. "What are you _doing?_"

Top Cat considered playing along. Considered it. It would probably be the smartest thing to do, considering the fact that Jazz still had the gun and was pointing it behind him, where TC could only assume the gang and Dibble were. Dave would undoubtedly be a good distraction.

Yes, common sense was telling him to play along.

But his anger won out.

"Call me Dave_ one more time." _

It was totally worth it just to see Jazz's expression. A combination of surprise and fear. TC loved it and was about to use Jazz's momentary uselessness to his advantage when he heard Benny.

"TOP CAT!! YOU'RE BACK!!"

Jazz snapped. He turned around, without ever releasing Top Cat, and fired the gun.

* * *

So Top Cat's back and the gun's been fired. DRAMA!! And this is only part 1 of the climax. :). BUM BUM BUM.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated!! (I'd also like to know if you really felt the action, cuz that's what I spent most of the time working on. Action sequences have never been my forte.) Next chapter up soon!! Hopefully...


	15. Chapter 15

So this is kind of a short chapter, but I usually have a lot of those. Go me. :). And yes, there is another cliffhanger. Heehee. Enjoy!!

EL Ch. 15

* * *

For one horrifying second, Top Cat thought Benny, lying on his back in the middle of the Alley, had been shot.

"Benny? _Benny?" _ Top Cat struggled to make Jazz let go, or at least loosen, his grip on the front of his vest as guilt trips and 'what if' statements ran through his conscience.

"What, Top Cat?" Benny sat back up and started brushing himself off.

All bad thoughts suddenly vanished from his conscience. Except for the one that said he was going to kill Benny himself. "Benny, don't _do _that!"

"Well Officer Dibble pushed me down…" Benny said, pointing an accusing finger at the policeman, who had a slightly worried, slightly smug look on his face that said _That's-right-I-just-saved-your-life. _

"Now, now, _Dribble, _I can't believe you would ruin my plan like that," Jazz said sarcastically. "I mean, _really, _now I'm just going to have to try again…"

"_Shoot that gun one more time and I'll make sure it ends up pointing back at you_." TC's icy words stopped Jazz cold.

"Aw, yeah? And how are you gonna do that?" he swung the gun back around to face Top Cat's head.

A low rumbling interrupted Top Cat's reply. He smiled. _It's good to be home._

"That."

Jazz didn't have to wait long to know what 'that' was. The fence he had Top Cat pinned up against suddenly splintered and fell over, forcing Jazz to let go of Top Cat's vest as TC was swept under the broken boards. Jazz fell backward, knocking the wind out of himself and losing the gun in the process. A lone bowling ball rolled through the Alley.

"WHY IS THERE A BOWLING ALLEY NEXT TO THIS STUPID PLACE??" Jazz screamed in frustration.

He was ignored. Top Cat was out from underneath the fence and on Jazz in an instant. As the two rolled around the Alley in fierce combat, the entire gang ran forward and started furiously sifting through the scraps of fence for the gun. Dibble, on the other hand, frantically tried to find where Jazz and Top Cat had gone—they were just here a second ago, how had they disappeared so fast?!

"GIVE ME MY HAT BACK!!"

Jazz suddenly tore around the corner holding Top Cat's hat, Top Cat in close pursuit with an expression that would have stopped the devil in his tracks.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

Dibble reached out to grab the back of TC's vest, but Top Cat was going too fast—before anyone knew it he and Jazz had run clear of the Alley and were on the road.

"Hey, Dibble, I found his gun!" Choo-Choo ran up and gave the gun to Dibble. The rest of the gang followed suit.

"Thanks, Choo-Choo," he said hurriedly. "C'mon, we've got to go get TC!" with that Dibble was off, the gang following closely behind.

* * *

Top Cat pounded the incredible amount of fury he felt into every step he ran. He was completely aware that Dibble had tried to stop him, and that Dibble was probably the one with the most sense at the moment, but he didn't care. Jazz needed some payback.

And there he was. Top Cat was gaining. Jazz turned to the right onto a bridge. Top Cat followed and pounced on him at the halfway mark.

"_Give. Me. My. Hat." _He pulled Jazz close to his scowling expression by the front of his shirt.

"How about no?"

"How about I _stuff it down your throat? _Oh, wait, that would be a complete and total waste of a hat."

"You think that's _funny?"_

"As a matter of fact, I _do._"

Jazz was about to say something, but was instantly silenced by a low rumbling sound.

"Don't tell me there's a bowling alley around here, too?" he asked.

"No…that's the bridge…" Top Cat looked down and to the right.

A huge barge ship was heading straight towards the bridge. But the ship was way too big to fit under it…

The bridge started moving. The halfway mark split.

"What the…"

"Jazz, you _idiot, _do you know what this bridge is?!"

"Well now I do…"

The bridge split even more, making Jazz lose his footing.

"_Move, _TC!"

"_You can't call me that!"_

Then Jazz fell, dragging Top Cat with him. TC twisted his body around and groped in mid-air for something to hold on to, and surprisingly he managed to place a very weak, half-hearted grip on the top of the bridge, which was still moving. He knew he couldn't hold onto it for longer than a few seconds, especially since Jazz was still holding onto his other arm. Both limbs felt like they were about to be torn from their sockets.

"Hey, Jazz, can you swim?"

"Nope."

"Me neither."

TC's fingers slowly slipped from their grip. Then both cats fell.

* * *

Heehee. Yay cliffhangers. By the way, I realized that the last few chapters are the only ones I've actually had to write Top Cat in canon...I really hope I've captured the essence of his amazing character...cuz I had to make Dave lame...haha. Another BTW, I hope all you readers get when Top Cat's like "You can't call me that!" when Jazz calls him TC. If you don't, listen to the theme song. :). Anyways, I crave hungrily for reviews, even constructive ones, so don't feel shy. :).


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry about the short chapter, guys, but cliffhangers are really fun and I kind of like spacing the climax out. Plus past this point I'm currently having writer's block, I know what I want to happen but I'm not quite sure how to make the action flow. I'm working on it. Anyways, enjoy!!

Empty Lies, Ch. 16

* * *

"_TC!" _

He heard his name being screamed from somewhere nearby (and by quite a lot of people), but before he could even think of responding he felt the impact of ice cold water.

For a while TC floated aimlessly, furiously kicking in random directions in the vain hope that he'd move back towards the air. He realized he needed to breathe when his lungs started burning and he kicked harder.

FINALLY! His frantic movements seemed to have worked, he felt himself breaking water. He gulped in a massive amount of air before he went under again, where he resumed his intense kicking.

This wasn't working. His lungs were going to burst, his vision was going black--

Top Cat started groping around with his hands for something to prevent him from drowning. Surprisingly, his hand touched something soft that felt vaguely like rubber. He grabbed onto it with all the strength he could muster.

Then suddenly he was out from under the water. He sucked in the merciful air as he leaned on the lifesaver he'd grabbed.

"...Where's the other guy?"

"I don't know. There was one, right?"

"That's what the policeman said."

Other guy? Top Cat was having trouble thinking straight due to lack of oxygen, but he was pretty sure the random voices from nowhere were talking about Jazz. Had he not come up yet?

Top Cat looked down into the black water. Then he slowly reached up and felt his wet head, which he realized was still hatless.

Countless terms of profanity went through his head before he sucked in the biggest breath he could and dove under.

* * *

"WHAT IS HE _DOING?_" Choo-Choo near screamed.

"He can't swim!" Fancy yelled, leaning over the fence that separated him from the black water below.

"Yeah, what's he tryin' to do? Drown himself while holding onto a lifesaver?" Spook said.

"Don't say that!" Benny's voice rose as his friend disappeared again under the churning water.

"Well someone go tell Dibble that's what's gonna happen if he doesn't stop doing what he's doing!" Choo-Choo yelled. His saucer-like eyes never left the bobbing lifesaver, either.

"I think, like, he already knows." Spook pointed to the policeman, who was leaning as far as he could over the railing and screaming frantically at a group of sailors on the boat.

"_Make him stay on the lifesaver!"_

"How?"

"_I don't know! Just do it!"_

"Well, where's the other guy?"

"_I don't know! Throw in another lifesaver or something, but get him out!"_

"Hank, go grab the other lifesaver!"

Instantly, another sailor disappeared at a running pace.

Dibble turned his attention from the sailors down to Top Cat.

"Top Cat! What are you _doing?_"

TC answered with another gasp for air, then disappeared under the water again.

"_Top Cat!_"

No answer. The seconds ticked by until they became close to a minute.

Top Cat didn't come up.

* * *

GASP. Things aren't going well for Top Cat. Once again, I realize that my short chapters and cliffhangers are probably annoying, but breaking things up is making this go by much easier for me. I promise the next chapter will be the length of a normal chapter. Anyway, as always, reviews are EXTREMELY appreciated and I will love you forever if you grant me one :).

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

It's taken a little longer to write and upload this than I'd hoped, but, hey, it's done and I honestly think it's better than my most recent ones, which is good since I kind of skipped my algrebra II homework to finish this. (HAHA, who cares about matrices anyway?) Plus it's longer than the last few chapters I've done, hope you all enjoy that :).

EL Ch. 17

* * *

"How long has it been?" Choo-Choo's voice was barely above a whisper. He was afraid to hear the answer.

"Almost a minute," Dibble replied, his voice betraying no emotion.

The lifesaver bobbed in the water, lifeless. A second later, a lone purple hat floated to the surface.

"No…_no…_"

Dibble closed his eyes and opened them again. The hat was still there. Like from a nightmare.

"Not again," he whispered to himself. "Not again…"

Benny's small voice came from somewhere behind Dibble. "Where's Top Cat…?"

"Benny…"

"He's not…he didn't…"

"_Benny._" This time it was Fancy who shushed him, firmly but gently. He softly grabbed Benny's shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

"But…"

"I know. I know."

Benny opened his mouth as if to protest some more, but nothing came out.

"I can't believe he's, like, gone again," Spook said, close to tears. "I just…"

"Uh…Spook…"

"What, Chooch?"

"Look closer."

Spook looked closer.

* * *

Top Cat broke the surface of the water just as his vision was going black. He groped frantically for the lifesaver with his free hand, desperately sucking in as much merciful air as he could.

"Get _up _here," he said forcefully to the sagging burden being carried in his free hand.

Jazz sputtered as he broke the surface. _Geez, it was hard to swim. _He grabbed the lifesaver TC practically threw him on and rested his aching head on the rubber support, blocking out all extraneous noise.

* * *

Five minutes later, Top Cat sat fuming in back of the ambulance that had turned up on scene somewhere in the time span he'd been underwater. He wondered vaguely who had called for it, but more importantly: why was he _here? _He hated medical attention. Only twice in his life had he ever subjected himself to it, once when he literally thought he had a serious head injury after getting whacked on the head with a baseball and the other when he had been trying to woo Benny's extremely hot nurse. (That had definitely been one of his greatest bluffs.)

But when he wasn't trying to draw attention to himself? It was just downright embarrassing.

Well, at least he had his hat back.

He pushed yet another thermometer away from his face. What number was this? Five? Six? Thirty-seven? And it was the _same guy. _If it had been a female nurse so concerned with his body temperature, it would at least have been tolerable.

"Sir, I thank you for your concern, but _my temperature is normal." _

"We would know that for certain if you'd let me take it."

"Why bother? I feel fine."

"Yes, well, I really feel that we should—"

"_I'm fine._"

The man sighed and walked away, knowing that the battle was lost. Ha. Although, admittedly, Top Cat did feel a little chilly. The only reason the blanket on his shoulders hadn't been tossed aside along with the dry hospital gown given to him was that, unfortunately, he couldn't stop random involuntary shivers from running up his spine. Also, there was an extremely burly man in the corner who did NOT look fit to be a medic of any kind holding a needle and fixedly staring in TC's direction. Top Cat could only guess that if he refused too much medical assistance, Mr. Muscle would deem himself to be Mr. Muscley Doctor and make him accept it.

He wouldn't put it past them.

"You know, you should probably let them take your temperature."

TC turned and glared daggers at Officer Dibble, who leaned casually against the back of the ambulance with an uncharacteristically cocky smile.

"I don't see why."

"How about because that water's _freezing _in the dead of night?"

"And how would you know that?"

"Common knowledge."

"First-hand experience. I win."

"So you admit the water was freezing?"

Top Cat opened his mouth, but no clever comeback came out. Holy _crap, _he had just been duped by Dibble. He was rustier than he thought. Or he just had major brain freeze.

"No."

"Seriously. Get your temp taken."

"_No."_

"Sir? He wants his temperature taken."

"What? _I most certainly don't!"_

"Oh, _good, _I was getting worried. Your friend over there is pretty sick, I wanted to see how you were doing, but you wouldn't—"

"_I don't want my temperature taken!"_

"He Does."

"Dibble, I swear I'll—"

How had _that _happened? The cold metal of a medical tool broke it's way through his active mouth as he turned to insult Dibble.

Dibble smiled that cocky smile again.

This was more embarrassing than before. Top Cat started taking the stupid thermometer out, but then caught sight of Mr. Muscle over in the corner.

Why did bad things happen to him? There had to be steam coming from his head by now.

"So, uh…speaking of Jazz…"

Top Cat folded his arms and glared daggers at Dibble.

"It was really great, the way you. ..uh…you know…went back for him…"

"We wee 'ad myatt."

"What?"

"Ee 'ad myatt."

"_What?" _

The male nurse came back and took the thermometer in one smooth motion. Any later and Top Cat would've spit it out.

"_HE HAD MY HAT."_

"Oh…"

"That's the only reason I went back for the idiot. He had my hat."

"I see."

"Well, good news," the nurse interrupted their conversation, holding the thermometer like a prize. "Your temperature is actually only a bit below normal, which is pretty surprising. You can go if you want to."

"_Finally._" Top Cat practically threw the blanket off his shoulders and jumped down from the back of the ambulance. "Thank you for your fine assistance, sir."

"Why, you're welcome. It's my job."

Apparently the fine art of sarcasm was lost on this poor soul.

"Hey, Dibb, where's the gang?"

"Back at the Alley. Soon as they made sure you were all right, via me, I sent them back to get out of the way of the police cars and stuff."

"Thank you much. Oh, by the way…"

"What?"

"You might want to check your car."

"_….why…?"_

"No reason."

Dibble looked like he wanted to revert back to his inner ticket-giving policeman for a second, but instead whipped around to stare at the police car parked across the street.

"TC, what did you _do?"_

"Nothing, Dibb. At least, nothing that you need to worry about right away…"

"Top Cat…I _swear _I'll run you in if anything's been done to my car…"

"Well we wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

"Top CAT…" Dibble turned and ran across the street to the car.

It was only when Dibble reached the car that he remembered.

_I didn't bring my car…_

* * *

Top Cat smiled as he watched Dibble run, panicked, across the street. His smile grew wider as he watched Dibble realize that he hadn't brought his car.

Oh yeah. He was back.

* * *

NOT THE LAST CHAPTER!! That would be the next one. :). Haha. Hope you liked it, please review!! Even if you didn't like it!! I CRAVE REVIEWS!!


	18. Chapter 18

I know, I know, it's been a while. Well, more than a while, like a freaking long time. I had massive writer's block for a while about how to end the story and then I honestly just forgot I had a story to finish until I watched Top Cat again and it was the Jazz episode. And then I realized I should probably get on that last chapter. I know, I'm an awful person. Anyway, here it is! The last chapter! It's pretty much all dialogue, really this chapter is just for closure. And I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's read this! Mostly to those who favorited and alerted the story and actually reviewed all the chapters. Really, I can't thank you enough. :)

CH. 18

* * *

Benny's little legs propelled him towards Top Cat's trash can, which, until last night, had been abandoned. He still had a hard time believing last night wasn't a dream, it was too good to be true.

At first, the misery had been too much to bear. History repeating itself, especially after the faint glimmer of hope of getting Top Cat back, had caused the entire gang to go into an almost comatose state. No one said anything for at least two minutes after the swarm of ambulances (when had those shown up?) and police cars swallowed TC.

Finally, Choo-Choo became unable to wait any longer. "I've got to see what's going on," he said adamantly, concern apparent in his voice. The rest of the gang, undoubtedly thinking the same thing, followed him up to where the police tape and large police officers dictated they could go no further.

"Listen, our good friend TC, the one who almost just drowned in the river, we _really _need to see how he's doing, so could you just, uh, let us pass?" Fancy attempted to make his way past one of the guards.

"Sorry", he said gruffly. "No one unauthorized past this point."

"Authorized? But, like, man, come _on,_" Spook pleaded.

That was when Benny saw Dibble in the background.

"DIBBLE!"

The shrill cry caught the attention of everyone within fifty meters of the area, including the tired-looking policeman. He made his way over to the tape.

"There you guys are, I've been lookin' all over for ya—"

"Is he OK, Dibble?"

"Relax, Benny, I think he's fine. I just saw him trying to refuse medical attention over by that ambulance."

The entire gang let out a sigh of relief. If TC wasn't letting a doctor near him, then he was probably fine. And back to his old self.

"Ah, there he goes again…he should really let that guy take his temperature…why don't you guys go on back to the Alley? Top Cat will go there as soon as he can, I guarantee that."

Benny and Choo-Choo looked like they might object, but one stern glance from Dibble told them it was useless. They turned around and followed the rest of the gang back to their beloved Alley.

Apparently, however, they were all more severely exhausted than previously thought, because they were asleep within five minutes of waiting for Top Cat.

Which was why Benny was so excited to see him this morning. He knew there would most likely be repercussions for waking him up before the sun was at the midpoint location in the sky, but at the moment he didn't care. He just wanted to see him and make sure he was all right, since Benny had never gotten solid proof last night.

"TOP CAT!" He screamed as he removed the trash can lid.

The trash can was empty.

Empty.

That couldn't be right. Top Cat was almost never up before noon, and he wouldn't be up early after the events of last night, that was for sure. If everyone else was that exhausted, surely TC would be at least double that?

Benny dropped the lid and ran back to the sleeping gang, all in very uncomfortable-looking positions in the middle of the Alley.

"Choo-Choo! Wake up!" Benny shook the pink cat with all the force he could muster. "Spook? Brain? Fancy?" He shook each cat in turn, and after an endless minute of unsuccessful attempts they finally started to stretch and rub their eyes.

"What? What? Duh, where's the fire?" Brain's voice was even duller than usual.

"Did any of you see TC come in last night?" Benny asked.

The entire gang blinked confusedly. And then it hit them.

"Aw, MAN, we, like, totally konked out!"

"Did you see him, Benny?!"

"CRAP, how did that happen?"

"I don't know, but he's not in his can," Benny answered their outbursts.

"Why not? It's not noon yet…." Choo-Choo mused.

"Do you think, something, like happened?" Spook asked.

"Something ELSE?" Fancy said. "What else could happen NOW?"

"Yeah, I mean, duh, how many people could possibly be out to get Top Cat?"

Complete silence followed that comment as the gang turned to stare at Brain.

"You're right, that was a stupid comment even for me…"

"Which brings us back to where _is _he?" Benny asked, on the verge of hysteria.

* * *

Top Cat leaned against the fence sipping his latte listening to their argument. He didn't even try keeping the smile from his face.

"How are we supposed to know? Aw, MAN, like how could we fall asleep?"

"Think an accident happened?"

"Like what? TC isn't exactly accident prone, not counting the events of last night…"

"Which weren't even his fault. Do you think Bo…?"

At this, TC grimaced. Stupid little Bo. He hadn't meant to leave the gang for a year. And honestly, that year had been hell for him. A job? Not his high ace card. His hours of sleep had been severely cut back. Not to mention he was a bit rusty from all the honest work he'd unwittingly put forth for a stupid company. He didn't even know what they did anymore. Something with numbers.

He had missed this Alley. Incredibly. Mostly, he'd missed the gang. The only reason he hadn't put a stop to the conversation by announcing his presence yet was because his ego rather enjoyed listening to the frantic concerns of the gang. He felt like a bear hibernating the entire winter only to wake up and discover it was spring.

"Maybe he liked being Dave…maybe he went back…"

Benny's voice, filled with heartbreak, made Top Cat choke on his coffee. Time to end the conversation.

"_Like_ being a boring pencil pusher with boring pencil pusher friends? In New _Jersey, _of all places?"

Benny didn't even bother turning around first to make sure it was really him, he just sped through a 360 degree turn and barreled his way over to Top Cat, knocking his latte onto the ground as he tackled him. Ha, he was such a little kid sometimes.

"TC! TC! TC! Where were you?!"

"If you get off me so I can breathe, I'll tell you."

"Sorry, TC, sorry!"

Benny jumped off of TC faster than he had tackled him. The rest of the gang was already behind him.

"Now, then," Top Cat said as he brushed himself off, "I woke up around 6 this morning and, since old habits are hard to shake, decided to go get myself a latte."

"But it's almost eleven o'clock", Choo-Choo pointed out.

"You didn't let me finish. I couldn't just leave without explaining everything to my work colleagues, could I? That would be rude. And whatever Dave was, Top Cat is not rude."

"Oh…right, I guess you couldn't…" Fancy said. "What'd they say?"

"I wasn't paying attention. Something about how horrified they were that I lived in an alley? And something else about gambling being a sin, I don't remember."

"But, duh, isn't that rude?" Brain asked.

"Who asked you? And then I made a quick stop at the nearest ATM machine." Top Cat produced a wad of bills from one his vest pockets. "Working certainly has its advantages. They don't outnumber the disadvantages, but still."

"Whoa, how much cash you got there, pops?" Spook's eyes were larger than saucers.

"I forgot to count it, I just withdrew it from savings with Dave's card and then chucked it into the nearest trash bin. I figured we could treat ourselves to a nice dinner at the first posh, fancy, over-priced restaurant we could find."

"Jesus, you're back in town a day and you've already started your cons again? Come on, Top Cat, where'd you get that money?" TC turned around to realize that Dibble was standing right behind him, a stern expression on his face.

"Well obviously, Dibb, you tuned into the conversation about five seconds too late. Had you been listening, you would've overheard—eavesdropping is quite rude, I might add—that this money is completely legit. I withdrew it from Dave's savings account and then threw away the card."

Dibble's face softened at the mention of Dave. "Oh…well then I guess it's legal…" Top Cat didn't fail to notice the trace of disappointment in Dibble's voice.

"Relax, Dibb, I think I've got an overdue library book or something you can play with."

"Very funny."

"Officer Dibble, would you like to come to dinner with us tonight?" Benny asked.

"Well thanks, Benny, but I've got my beat to patrol. I'll see you guys later. Top Cat, no funny business," he said as he continued his path down the Alley.

"No problems there, Dibb," TC said. "Wouldn't want you cramping our style anyway. Come on, men, let's hit the pool hall."

* * *

Kind of a sudden ending, I know, but I thought it fit. Thanks again to everyone who read this! (Or is reading this.) Please please please please PLEASE review!! After all, it is the last chapter. Although there might be a sequel coming soon. If the idea I'm toying around with works out. Wow, I ramble. Thanks again!


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